Axle



niet.

GEORGE E. MORGAN, 0E NEW YORK, N. YV.

A XLE.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, @rE-onen F. Molisani, a citizen cf the United States, residing in New York city, in the county ofNew York and State of New York, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Axles, of which the following isa specification.

The invention relates-to axles and more particularly to axles for railway cars and the like. f c f y YWhen a railway car or similar vehicle running upon fixed rails turns a curve, the wheel on the outer track of the curve travels through a greater distance than the wheel on the .inner track. rlhis causes ardifference in velocity in the travel' of the two Wheels in rounding the curve, and particularly if it is a sharp one, which necessarily results kin much grinding and wear of both the rails and of the wheels by Vreason of the'slipp'in'g of one or both of the wheels. Much expense for repair is thus occasioned and not infrequently for accidents; It hasaccordingly been proposed to provide some means for obviating this long recognized difhculty.

One proposed means is to provide a car axle with one fixed and one loose wheel thereon. Such axles, however, as heretofore construct ed have been either more or less complicated, and, consequently, unsatisfactory in opera* tion; or they have lacked proper provision for lubrication and preventing dust and grit from entering the bearings. The stresses to which a railway car axle is subjected in rounding a' curve are relatively severe, and it is accordingly necessary that the construction be strong and simple.

The object of the present invention is to produce an improved axle adapted for use on railway cars and other vehicles traveling on xed rails. The invention consists in the novel manner of mounting the loose wheel upon the axle so as to secure efficiency in operation and relatively long usage without impairment of the eiiiciency and without the necessity of repairs. A feature of the invention resides in the means whereby provision is made for lubrication. The invention itself consists in the improved axle described in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the' appended claim. Y

In the accompanying drawing is illustrated the preferred form of the invention. rlhe figure is a sectional side elevation. The

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

npp'ucation filed April 15, 1921. serial No. 461,492. y

improved railwaycar axle as illustrated in the drawing comprises an axle proper :1 which is provided at its opposite ends with the usual journal bearings Zand 3. At one c end of the axle ismountedthe loose'wheel and at the other end ofthe axle is mounted ythe xed wheel 5, whichis not mounted in position until after the 4loose wheel isin place. The successful operation of a railway car axle provided with a loose wheel mounted thereon requires that provision be made for thegreatest possible strength and durability the nature of the construction willr permit.

The lateral or axial thrust uponlthe loose wheel is as great as the lateral or axial thrust upon the fixed wheel, and thus it is necessary to providelthe loose wheel withV thrust surfaces so arranged that there will be no liability of lateral or axial movement of the loose wheel. Moreover, it is desirable that the loosewheel be provided with relatively large bearin surfaces so as to prevent an undue wear. t is necessary also that simple and eflicient means be providedfor securing a proper lubrication of the loose wheel. These features of construction are provided in the manner of mounting the loose wheel in the present invention.

A more extended bearing surface is secured by mounting the loose wheel 4 on collars fixed on the axle 1, than by mounting the loose wheel directly on the axle; and by elongating the hub 6 of the loose wheel. On the outer end of the axle adjacent the journal bearing 3 is aiiixed a collar 7. It will be noted that the length of the collar '7 is l such that it extends from the journal bearing Sto a point coincident with the plane of the inner edge of the flange 8 of the loose wheel. This construction insures a maximum of bearing surface (consistent with the mechanics of the construction) at that part where the greatest wear necessarily falls. In assembling the axle with its wheels the collar 7 is first pressed or shrunk on the axle andthen the loose wheel is mounted thereon from the other end of the axle. The loose wheel is slipped on the collar 7 as far as the inner edge 9 of the internal and annular fiange or web 10 formed on the hub 6. A second collar 11 is then pressed on the axle until its inner end meets the outer edge 12 of the flan e 10. Thus the loose wheel 'is effectively eld against lateral or axial movement. ln order thatithe collar 11 may be removed in case it is necessary to rebore the loose Wheel 4L and inlorder that the collar 11 underV this conditionmay` box 15, the inner surfacesrof the hub .6 of

the loose Wheel being provided with the usual lubricating;` grooves so that the` oilV or other lubricant may find free passage from the journal box 15 to the end of the hub 6. To prevent dust and grit from` entering the bearings at the inner end of the hub, the head of the collar 11 is provided With a fiange`16,j whichY embraces a space filled With packing 17. A packing 18 of resilient material is interposed between the outer end of the -hub 6 and hthe inner end of the journal box 15 to prevent dust and grit from entering the bearingfrom this end and also prevent the lubricant. from, passing out. The outer end of the hubis recessed at `19 and the inner end of the journal box is recessed at 2O toprovide for-effectively holding the packing 18 in place and render it The inner Wheel.

more eicient inthe performance of its function. i Y

i By'reason of the simplicityof construe tion of the improved railway car axle de# scribed above the axle is adapted to Withstand the stresses to which it is subjected. The novel form of thrust surfaces for holdv ing the loose Wheel against lateral or axial movement conduces to this simplicity of construction and consequent strength and efficiency in operation. This simplicity of construction'lends itself to the novel means for lubricating the loose'vvheel and preventi ing dust and ings.' K j .Having thus described the invention what I claim as neW-isJ-f i n An axlefor railway cars and the like having journal bearings and comprising a Wheel fixed at one end of the axle, a collarv fixed at the opposite end of the axle, a loosely mounted Wheel journaled on the collar, the inner end of the collar being substantially coincident With the `fiange of the Wheel, a

second collar fixedon the axle and spaced apart `from .the rst collar and affording bearing vfor `an elongation of the hub of the grit fromV entering the bearp loosely mounted Wheel, and a flange on the gitudinal movement of the loosely mounted `j enoneen MORGAN.

`hub engaged by the collars to prevent lon-v 

